Argyll
—  County (until circa 1890)  —
Country	Scotland
County town	Inveraray
Area
• Total	8,055 km2 (3,110 sq mi)
	Ranked 2nd
Chapman code	ARL

Argyll (English pronunciation: /ɑrˈɡaɪl/), archaically Argyle (Earra-Ghàidheal in modern Gaelic pronounced [ˈaːr̴əɣɛː.əɫ̪]), is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath. Argyll was also a medieval Bishopric with its cathedral at Lismore, as well as an early modern Earldom and Duchy, the Duchy of Argyll.

Etymology[link]

The name derives from Old Gaelic airer Goídel (border region of the Gaels). The early thirteenth century author of De Situ Albanie explains that "the name Arregathel means margin (ie, border region) of the Scots or Irish, because all Scots and Irish are generally called Gattheli (i.e. Gaels), from their ancient warleader known as Gaithelglas."

However, the word airer naturally carries the meaning of the word 'coast' when applied to maritime regions, so the placename can also be translated as "Coast of [the] Gaels". Woolf has suggested that the name Airer Goídel replaced the name Dál Riata when the 9th century Norse conquest split Irish Dál Riata and the islands of Alban Dál Riata off from mainland Alban Dál Riata; the mainland area, renamed Airer Goídel, would have contrasted with the offshore islands of Innse Gall, literally "islands of the foreigners", so-called because during the 9th to 12th centuries they were ruled by Norse-speaking Gall-Gaels.^[1]

County and district[link]

Argyll (sometimes anglified as Argyllshire) is a registration county of Scotland and additionally between 1890 and 1975 it was a county for local government purposes. Argyll's neighbouring counties are Inverness-shire, Perthshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Bute. Renfrewshire and Ayrshire are the other side of the Firth of Clyde. Bute is a county of islands in the firth.

The county town was historically Inveraray, which is still the seat of the Duke of Argyll. Lochgilphead later claimed to be the county town, as the seat of local government for the county from the nineteenth century. Neither town was the largest settlement geographically nor in terms of population, however. Argyll's largest towns were (and are) Oban, Dunoon and Campbeltown.

The Small Isles were part of the county, until they were transferred to Inverness-shire in 1891, by the boundary commission appointed under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889.

The use of the County of Argyll for local government purposes ceased in 1975 with its area being split between Highland and Strathclyde Regions. A local government district called Argyll and Bute was formed in the Strathclyde region, including most of Argyll and the Isle of Bute. The Ardnamurchan, Ballachulish and Kinlochleven areas of Argyll became part of Lochaber District, in Highland.

In 1996 a new unitary council area of Argyll and Bute was created, with a change to boundaries to include part of the former Strathclyde district of Dumbarton.

Constituency[link]

There was an Argyllshire constituency of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1983 (renamed Argyll in 1950). The Argyll and Bute constituency was created when the Argyll constituency was abolished.

Notable residents[link]

• Patrick MacKellar, (1717–1778), born in Argyll, military engineer, considered the most competent engineer in America.^[2]
• Baron Robertson of Port Ellen KT, GCMG, FRSA, FRSE, PC (born 12 April 1946, George Islay MacNeill Robertson,) is a British Labour politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and January 2004.

History[link]

Argyll is the historic home of Clan Campbell of Argyll.

In fiction[link]

Rosemary Sutcliff's 1965 novel The Mark of the Horse Lord is set in Earra Gael, i.e. the Coast of the Gael, wherein the Dal Riada undergo an internal struggle for control of royal succession, and an external conflict to defend their frontiers against the Caledones.

See also[link]

• List of counties of Scotland 1890-1975

Notes[link]

1. ^ Woolf, Alex "The Age of the Sea-Kings: 900-1300" in Omand (2006) pp. 94-95
2. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963. 

References[link]

• Omand, Donald (ed.) (2006) The Argyll Book. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-480-0

Coordinates: 56°15′N 5°15′W / 56.25°N 5.25°W / 56.25; -5.25

External links[link]

• Argyll.org - Argyll Independent Visitor Information

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2011)

Gordon Wayne Walker (born September 10, 1941) is a businessman and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1975, and again from 1977 to 1985.^[1] He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.

Background[link]

Walker was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, and educated at the University of Western Ontario. He worked as a lawyer, and served as an alderman in the City of London from 1967 to 1971. He and his wife Harriet have two daughters, Melanie Jennifer and Wynsome Harriet. Married to the former Harriet Hedley, who was Runner Up to Miss Canada nationally in 1965, was a secondary school teacher specializing in French and Spanish, was Director of Public Relations for the Museum of Indian Archeology 1981 1989; Director of Public Relations for the Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario, 1989 to 1991; principal of Harriet Walker and Affiliates, Toronto, (principal organizer of the Royal Visit to Ontario of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, 1997), director and subsequently Co-Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum, 1997 to 2003, Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum 2003–present, lay member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons 2003 - 2006.

Political career[link]

Ontario Legislature[link]

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Charles Bigelow by 5,426 votes in London North. He served as a backbencher supporter of Davis's government for the next four years, and lost to Liberal candidate Marvin Shore by 2,282 votes in the 1975 election. Ironically, Shore crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservative Party the following year.

Walker was returned to the legislature in the 1977 election for London South, defeating Liberal candidate John Ferris by 2,211 votes. He was appointed to Davis's cabinet on October 18, 1978 as Minister of Correctional Services, and was also named Provincial Secretary for Justice on August 30, 1979. He was re-elected without difficulty in the 1981 election.

Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations[link]

He left the Correctional Services portfolio on April 10, 1981, and was instead named as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations. After a cabinet shuffle on February 13, 1982, he left both of his former portfolios and was named Minister of Industry and Trade Development. The title Minster of Trade Development was shortened to Minister of Trade. On June 6, 1983 he changed cabinet positions becoming the Provincial Secretary of Justice, a position he held until February 1985 at which time he became the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations in the Cabinet of Premier Frank Miller, who had succeeded Premier Bill Davis as leader of Progressive Conservative Party. He left cabinet entirely on May 17, 1985, following the general election of May 2, 1985, in which he was defeated. The Progressive Conservative Party under Premier Frank Miller was reduced to a minority government in that election, and defeated in the Parliament in June 1985, turning over government to the Liberals. In 1983 he published a book entitled A Conservative Canada.

Progressive Conservative Party[link]

Walker was a prominent figure on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservative Party, and developed an organization for a future leadership bid in the early 1980s. These plans fell through, and many of his supporters later turned to Frank Miller. Many believe that Davis distrusted Walker's ambitions, and demoted him to prevent his leadership campaign from developing.Walker would retain the cabinet position of Provincial Secretary for Justice. Walker supported Miller for the party leadership in January 1985, and when Miller succeeded Davis as Premier of Ontario on February 8, he appointed Walker to cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations.

The Progressive Conservatives lost twenty seats in the 1985 provincial election, and Walker personally lost to Liberal Joan Smith by 6,683 votes. The party was subsequently defeated in the legislature, and Miller resigned as party leader. Walker became Alan Pope's campaign manager for the November 1985 Progressive Conservative leadership convention. After Pope's elimination on the first ballot, he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an alliance between his candidate and Dennis Timbrell.

The Aftermath[link]

Walker returned to his legal practice in London after his defeat. Many of his policy views were adopted by the Progressive Conservative Party under Mike Harris in the 1990s. Walker was a fundraiser for the Federal Progressive Conservataives and was Vice Chairman of P.C. Canada Fund during the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney period. Walker was a chief fundraiser for Tom Long's bid to lead the Canadian Alliance in 2000. In the period 1993 until 2003, Walker was chief fundraiser for Mike Harris, Leader of the PC Party in Ontario, and Premier from 1995 until 2003. He was Campaign Manager - Finance for both the 1995 and 1999 successful elections for Harris.

Walker's legal practise took him to Toronto where from 1985 until 1998 he was Counsel to Toronto law firms of Holden, Murdoch and Finlay (later Holden Day Wilson), and latterly Miller Thompson; as well as being Honorary Counsel to Walker and Wood, a firm he started in London, Ontario. In 1986 Walker took a financial interest in First Canadian Property Investments Limited, a firm in which he continues as a principal. It is based in Toronto.

From 1992 until 1995 Walker was Canadian Commissioner on the International Joint Commission, a treaty organization between Canada and the United States affecting issues of water quality and water quantity on the 330 lakes, rivers and streams across the common border, including the Great Lakes.

Hollinger Inc.[link]

Walker joined the board of directors of Conrad Black's troubled Hollinger Inc. firm in January 2004. He subsequently demanded that Black resign to protect the interests of shareholders, and replaced Black as chair in November 2004. He left the firm in July 2005, shortly after describing Black's ongoing legal difficulties as a "soap opera".

References[link]

Doctor Ross (October 21, 1925 – May 28, 1993^[1]), aka Doctor Ross, the harmonica boss, was an American blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player and drummer — a one-man band^[2] — who was born Charles Isaiah Ross, in Tunica, Mississippi.^[2]

Ross played various forms of the blues that have seen him compared to John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson I, and is perhaps best known for the recordings he made for Sun Records in the 1950s, notably "The Boogie Disease" and "Chicago Breakdown".

Biography[link]

In 1951 Ross began to be heard on Mississippi and Arkansas radio stations, now nicknamed Doctor because of his habit of carrying his harmonicas in a black bag that resembled a doctor's bag. Over the next three years he recorded in Memphis, Tennessee for both Chess and Sun, creating exhilarating harmonica or guitar boogies made distinctive by his sidemen playing washboard (with a spoon and fork) and broom.^[2]

In 1954 Ross took a job with General Motors in Flint, Michigan, and reduced his playing.^[2] He released a string of 45s on the Detroit-based Fortune Records. Some singles, among them his first true one-man band effort, "Industrial Boogie", filtered into blues circles, leading to a Testament Records album and a 1965 American Folk Blues Festival booking in Europe.^[2]

While in London he recorded what would be the first LP on Blue Horizon Records.^[2] In 1972 he recorded for Ornament Records during a German tour.^[3] Europe loved Ross and gave him work and recording opportunities; he was never as popular at home, and in the 1980s his performing profile was barely visible.^[2]

Ross won a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues, and subsequently enjoyed a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim towards the end of his career.

He died in 1993, at the age of 67, and was buried in Flint, Michigan.

See also[link]

• List of Delta blues musicians
• List of Country blues musicians
• List of Juke Joint blues musicians
• List of Detroit blues musicians

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ross biography at Allmusic website
• Illustrated Doctor Ross discography
• Works by or about Doctor Ross in libraries (WorldCat catalog)